Blog action day.....

So I was cruising the blog circuit this morning (in attempt to avoid working on my Ethics midterm) & I discovered on Love is Blonde that today has been declared Blog Action Day. It is a day set aside to address environmental issues.

What would happen if every blog published posts discussing the same issue, on the same day? One issue. One day. Thousands of voices....

I personally think this is a fabulous idea! I'll admit in the past I avoided 'environmental issues'...call it denial or whatever, but I'm guilty. Furthermore, we are very politically conservative. And (don't shoot me for saying this) but it often seems enviromental issues & liberal politics go hand-in-hand. So we just stayed "on our side of the fence." However as time has gone on K & I, have become a bit more aware of the impact of environmental issues in general. Then I took a Physical Geography class this past summer, and boy were my eyes ever opened. Now I don't claim to be uber green...I wish I was. But dang, is it ever hard....... especially living up here in Alaska. For instance my family's eco-footprint is not pretty.

So here it is.......

A List of Really Small Things I Do To Help the Planet, Which are Probably Too Small on Their Own to Make a Difference

1. Our entire house is equipped with compact fluorescent bulbs. In fact, this was the very first thing we did right. When we built our house 7 years ago we put this bulbs in straight way. I'll admit, at that time we did it strictly for $$ reasons. After living in military housing for years & not having utility bills, we wanted to save as much moola as we could. But in time we learn they weren't just money-savers, but they also are planet savers too! Ya wanna hear the best....in the 7 years we've been in the house we haven't had to replace a single light bulb yet! Score! If you haven't switched yet check out some of this info....

2. We ditched our full-size SUV. Yep, about 2 years ago we down-sized from a Ford Expedition to a minivan. Okay...not as good as a compact or hybrid, but definitely a step in the right direction. My Exp. got a whopping 14/mpg while my van averages 25-30/mpg. I'm sure it helps that I'm not a crazy, speedy driver. :)

3. I have started utilizing reusable grocery bags. Frankly I got sick & tired of all of those dang plastic bags. I swear once the enter your house they multiply. It's scary! So I caved and bought a couple $1bags from the local supermarket & I am hooked. Not more junky plastic bags allover the place & they sure hold a lot more than the single box of cereal (I'm sure you know what I'm talking about here).

4. We have pretty much (hey we aren't perfect) cut out bottled water. I invested in a few Nalgene bottles for the family as well as a couple of this incredibly cool CamelBak bottles for the kids. They have been a huge hit. We are creating less waste & definitely saving $$. Hmmmm... I am beginning to see a reoccurring theme here.....

5. I donate & recycle as much of our unwanted "stuff" as possible. Just because I no longer have a use for something, doesn't mean that someone else doesn't....

6. And on that note, I make it a game each & every week to put as little garbage in our can as possible. Amazingly, what is hauled away every Friday has gradually decreased over the last year or so....

7. Okay and the obvious...recycle, recycle, recycle.....We try recycle the standards (plastic, cardboard, paper) and then the less obvious choices such as printer cartridges, old cell phomes, etc.

I could bore you with the list of things I have created that I want to implement around here for greater change but instead check out these 57 Tips. I'll admit it's really tough. Living in Alaska, we have access to very little 'local foods', public transportation in our town is non-existent, and we require a whole lot of energy to sustain us. Oh boy do we ever screw up our ec0-footprint with our annual flying.....seriously...it takes forever for us to get anywhere. UGH! But the key is we're trying...... If I can be honest here (no throwing tomatoes please), I don't know if we'll ever be living very green, but I think there is a enormous percentage of the population who are a lot like me. You know, wanting to do something but are totally intimidated by these people we see on TV who have given up their cars & living totally on solar or hydro-power. Uhm...yeah...that's not me. But what's key is that there is a place for the average American like me to do a little something ...and eventually it'll add up to a whole lot. Get my drift?